Clouds
by Gothkat
Summary: This is set after pharos, so spoilers ahoy! this is their returen to Bafonheim, after the events at pharos,this is ment to be a Balfran story but looks like Balthier Basch fluff, so yeah R&R and tell me if there's any mistakes thanks.


A/N: knowing that pheon coast was a very Balthier/Ashe, and being a determined Balfran fan I am, I had to rationalise this scene so it was less Balthier/Ashe……thanks Vann for helping!

Vaan: no prob it make up for me barely being in 'Aliea 'Ivy' Bunansa!'

Gothkat: whispered that's because you annoy me.

Vaan: you say something?

Gothkat: NO!, Me? no way!

Fran: she did she called you-

Gothkat: let's start people!

Balthier was walking slightly ahead of the group, having just landed at Bafonheim, it was expected. No one had expected Reddas to sacrifice himself the way he did, and Vaan expected Balthier knew him best out of the lot of them, everyone could understand why he wasn't talking to people. Ashe sped up her walk to talk to Balthier, obviously trying to get him to talk back, with little success.

" I know it must be hard, but we must walk onwards!" Balthier looked to Ashe, who had sheer determination in her eyes, and answered.

"We? I didn't know you knew the doctor on such a personal level?" Ashe looked shocked at his answer, they all thought he was upset over Reddas, she looked back at the group to make sure no one had heard them, only Vaan was looking curiously on but too far away to really hear, wile Fran the person most likely to over hear was so far behind and talking to Penelo, so properly didn't hear.

"The doctor? What about Reddas? He sacrificed himself for us,"

Balthier sighed, it made him sound so old, it was almost too easy to imagine him at Basch's age, looking too much like the Doctor. " I know, I mourn him as well, I just didn't…" he trailed off leaving the rest for Ashe's interpretation, he turned to the others, " There people I've got to see, you lot head over to Reddas' , I'll properly be at the Inn by the time you need me,"

"Balthier, I'm sure Elza and the other won't mind us staying, There's no need to go to the Inn and waste gill, Right? " Penelo Asked worry in her tone.

" yeah she wouldn't mind, but I need to be away from them right now, I don't think I'd be able to face them, because… you know" Balthier sped in to the town, heading straight to Sea breeze lane

"I'm worried about him, Fran have you seen him like this?" Penelo asked, slightly teary eyed from the events and Pheors.

"I am as well, I do hope this isn't too hard on him," Ashe added, and Vaan couldn't help but notice that Ashe seemed a lot more worried then Penelo, almost like she was in lo-… No she couldn't not a princess and a pirate! No way!

"Girls if you wish I could talk to him? I have some experience with this matter so..?" Basch offered to the girls.

"Hey Fran maybe you could go and, oh Fran!" Penelo had looked to Fran to see Tears in her eyes, she reached up to give her as hug. "It's okay to cry come on, let's go sit down come on," Fran found it hard to believe the one who had made Bafonheim the place it was, the welcoming little town it was, was gone, not even a body to bury.

She remembered when she had first arrived, it was everyone for themselves then, it was a rough town, robbings often, with maybe groups of 3 max hanging about, it was like a mini war within it's self. Then Reddas came, the judge on the run, and convinced this town to stop fighting amongst themselves, convinced Bafonheim to become like one very large strange family, to replace the one the people had left.

That was all gone now.

" I don't think Fran should go see Balthier, Bash you shall go," Ashe moved to help Penelo with the Viera.

"As you wish" Basch answered.

When Basch found Balthier, Balthier was lying on the ground eyes to his oh so precious sky, not seeing the mighty Bahumut blocking the view to the south west.

"Balthier, you shouldn't try to keep it all in, it's been a very hard day for you, more so then us," Basch moved to sit by Balthier, near his head but, not in a place that would block his view figuring that the sky was some form of comfort the young man before him.

" That means what? Old man." Balthier eyes never left a particular cloud, it was round with little lines coming from either side, one line joining to another circle.

Basch leaned his head against a tree also looking up at the sky, failing to see Balthier's fascination, "that means, not only were you closer to Reddas then the majority of the group, but you are also mourning the lost of your father," This caused Balthier to sit up and face Basch, slight panic and curiosity in his eyes.

"how ?- when?- I'm not!- he's not! Were not!" like each other, the words wouldn't come out of his mouth. Balthier wanted to say ' he may be my father, but I am nothing like him in any way, and he's nothing to me, alive or dead,' he wanted to say that, but it wouldn't reflect the truth, not one little bit.

" How? Your appearance, you look just like him, he had once visited my cage," he answered a to question that was waiting to be asked, "Not to mention your shock when Ghis mentioned the Doctor to us first so, I'd say when was properly nearer to heading to the ozmone plain, as to why I didn't mention earlier I didn't think it any of my business,"

Balthier laid back down still starring at that one cloud, "what's that look like to you?" he asked innocently, wondering why looking at was only a painful reminder.

"swords drawn ageist each other, two men trying to stop the incoming impalement, " Basch answered the mind of a true solider.

Balthier squinted at the cloud, two circles joined together with a single line each circle reaching in opposite directions with another line, " Glasses"

Basch looked down and the man who seemed so much younger now, tears falling down his temples and receding to his hair line, possibly reaching his ears. Basch pulled the young man up into a hug trying to sooth the poor man.

It was a wile later when Vaan had gone to find Balthier and Basch and after thinking back through their journey, couldn't help thinking the conversation between Ashe and Balthier was some sort of love confession, and being slightly scared of the crying girls had decided it would be better to ask Balthier.

The scene he had stumbled upon was quite strange, instead of Balthier being really moody and ignoring Basch, they didn't talk much anyway. Balthier was leaning ageist Bash, still looking to the sky, laughing lightly, with tear tracks down his face, With Basch just listening, and responding appropriately.

Vaan walked over to the pair, sitting in front of Balthier, deciding, (or without thinking, this is Vaan people) asked his question straight out.

"Hey Balthier, you going out with the princess?" Basch in his shock had turned around, moving on to all fours, facing Vaan, Leaving Balthier not expecting Basch to move, nor was he expecting the question, to fall on to his back, noticing how the glasses in the sky hadn't moved much, must be little wind.

" What?! What makes you ask that of him?! Basch almost yelled, leaving Balthier to get himself up.

"indeed, what does make you ask that of me?" Balthier asked of the youngest of the boys.

"Well there was that whole conversation on the beach, the way Ashe looks at you, oh! And there was your reacting to Al-cid! You must have been mighty jealous, and I've bet you've got to keep the thing secret! And the ring! I bet you were jealous of the dead guy so took her reminder of him! And that explains-"

"Vaan! Your imagination will be the death of us soon!" Balthier all but yelled shocked that it appeared as it did so to the boy.

"Vaan that 'dead guy' as you called him, his name is Rassler," Basch reprimanded

"So hey Balthier you didn't answer the question, are you in love with the princess?" Vaan asked still curious as ever.

"NO! damnit Vaan besides even if I did I wouldn't allow myself to watch this little show play out." Balthier sighed thinking to another he loved who become consumed by nethicite.

Vaan of course took the sigh to mean that he did love the princess, " that's so romantic, you gonna like give up the sky for her or-"

" VAAN how dear you speck such…such HERASY!" Balthier, really needed to keep that temper down, but honestly Vaan to think The great sky Pirate Balthier would give up the sky? Although Basch guessed he ( and possibly Fran) were the only ones who had seen Balthier hug the air ship, if they haven't been on it in a wile.

"So you just gonna leave the one you love all alone! That's pretty mean Balthier" Vaan snapped back turning his back to the pirate.

"Well then I can't give up the sky, can I? If I'm not gonna leave my love alone that is! For the simple reason for that is as such; I DON'T you hear that Vaan do not as in the negative as in NO as in I DON'T love the DAMN princess! So get all those thought OUT of your little street rat head!" Balthier had turned Vaan around to make sure he fully understood his words.

Basch just watched on amused, chuckling at Balthier's reaction, almost too strong a denial. only Vaan could get Balthier riles up over something so little, like a misunderstanding, but secretly he was glad that Balthier wouldn't go making Ashe's life worse by starting a relationship with her then leaving without a trace.

"Really? so how do you explain your jealousy of Al-cid, if it wasn't 'cos he was flirting with Ashe?" Vaan looked smug watching Balthier splatter about not being jealous. When Balthier had finally re-caught his brain, it had decided it liked Strahl and had decided to stay aboard it seemed, he answered.

"there's a simple answer to that,"

"Oh yeah? That you were jealous?"

"NO! I was huffing because of how lame and obvious his flirting was, not to mention the fact she was falling for it"

"and that's not jealousy?" Vaan asked sarcastically

"No!"

"key how do you explain the looks she gives you?" Vaan was still quite smug, a look that didn't quite suit him.

"Now it was Balthier's turn to look smug, " I Can't help it if even Princess' fall for my charms, can I?"

Basch gagged, amazed at how arrogant Balthier could be, not to mention that only 10 minutes ago the man was bawling like a baby, understandably but still.

"Alright," Vaan was slowing running out of ideas, till he remembered his first point, " the beach! How do you explain that! Huh? Huh?"

Balthier sighed at the boys excited ness, " do you even know what the conversation was about?"

"No, but I was guessing it was a love confession,"

"let's just say you're a million miles in the wrong direction, although it was a confession,"

"Really," now Basch had decided to joint the conversation again rather then just observe.

"yeah I was telling the princess about my connection to Archades, and my being a judge," He looked over to Vaan worried of his reaction.

"you were a judge?!"

"I am as shocked as Vaan, but I doubt that's the point to this little tale, so please continue on," Basch allowed Balthier to continue, keeping a hand on Vaan's shoulder to keep him calm.

"right well I told her to tale, to warn her, so she wouldn't become the same thing as doctor cid, I don't think I'd be able to watch another, change little by little day by day, to something so unrecognisable, something that barely recognises you, that they might as well be a different person altogether,"

Basch watched Balthier look up to the Sky again, the glasses shaped cloud had blown over behind the Bahumut, ironic really.

"But, that means? So what about the looks were they worry that she'd change, like doctor Cid?"

"Yes Vaan, that was me making sure that Ashe was still Ashe even in the face of the new sun, and the new voices echoing to only her,"

Basch took heed of the time, "perhaps we should head back to town I'm sure Penelo is worried, although I hope Fran's alright,"

"yeah," Vaan agreed "she was mighty upset a earlier" getting up with the rest of the guys

"Really? Damn, let's get a move on," Basch chuckled as Balthier worried over Fran, Vaan looked over at Basch silently asking what was so funny?

"ah love," Basch sighed as Vaan looked confused

"what? But didn't Balthier say he's not in love?" Basch and Balthier ignored him and had left him behind. "hey guys! Basch! Who's in love!? Is it you?! Basch! Balthier! It's Balthier isn't it! Is he getting married to the Strahl!? Hey guys don't ignore me! Who's in love! And with whom!!"

A/N that come out well, and I think if it weren't for the Balthier/Fran hinted at then end, it could have been Balthier Basch fluff….. (witch strangely enough I hate that pairing and most FFXII Yaoi) well Vaan what did you think of your part?

Vaan: pant why didn't you guys wait up?

Balthier: I had to check on my leading lady

Vaan pant so you are in love with Ashe!

Balthier : how many times do I have to tell you I DON'T LOVE ASHE!!

Ashe : you called?

Vaan: Balthier's in love with you!

Balthier: I Am NOT!, help me out here Gothkat!

Gothkat: evil glint in eyes Vaan shut up, before I make you dress in drag and go entertain Vayne for the evening smirk

All: shudder

Gothkat: cheery so Review okay, cos you know, It keeps my bad side at bay angelic smile

Balthier: that was no 'bad side' that was a very twisted mind, so if no one wants worse to happen, I suggest reviewing, whispering P.s she can't spell or check grammar for shit, had her mum beta it for her after her mum had got herself out of heaven's ascent (was trying to level the almighty, no not god close though, me to be strongest)

Gothkat: what are you whispering Balthier?

Balthier: nothing!

All: Review please and arigato gozaimasu for reading!

Sorry about that being so long, they didn't want to shut up……


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